P.V. Narasimha Rao

Pamulaparti Venkata Narasimha Rao (28 June 1921-23 December 2004) was Prime Minister of India from 21 June 1991 to 16 May 1996, succeeding Chandra Shekhar and preceding Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He was a member of the Indian National Congress.

Biography
Pamulaparti Venkata Narasimha Rao was born in Laknepalli, Hyderabad State, British India on 28 June 1921, and he studied law and graduated wtih an LL B. He joined the Indian National Congress in 1945, and distinguished himself through his loyalty to the Nehru leadership consisting of Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi respectively. He was a member of the state assembly of Andhra Pradesh from 1955 to 1977, and was chief minister of that state from 1971 to 1973. After serving as general secretary to the Congress from 1974 to 1977, he entered the lower chamber, the Lok Sabha, in 1977. After Indira Gandhi's re-election in 1980, he served as Minister for External Affairs from 1980 to 1984, and under Rajiv Gandhi he served as Minister of Home Affairs in 1984, for Defenese in 1985, for Human Resource and Health and Family Welfare from 1986 to 1988, and for External Affairs from 1988 to 1989. He retired from politics after the electoral defeat of 1989, but as perhaps the party's best-known and least controversial figure, the colorless Rao came to lead the party on 20 June 1991 after Rajiv's assassination. After his party's election victory of 26 June 1991, he surprised most observers by staying in office for a full term, despite the fragility of his government and the general unpopularity of his economic reforms. These included liberalization and a reduction in state subsidies in order to reduce the country's large debt. This did yield considerable economic growth, averaging over 5% per year, though it benefited mainly the more prosperous middle classes rather than India's poverty-stricken masses. He became increasingly embroiled in corruption scandals, for which he was brought to court after his election defeat to H.D. Deve Gowda in 1996. He died in New Delhi in 2004 from a heart attack.